Greek Pasta Salad

It’s getting hot out there and you want meals that will help you beat the heat. I find this time of year I am not craving the normal comfort food of fall and winter. This Greek Pasta Salad is light and amazing served cold this summer.

Pasta salad reminds me of parties growing up but there is no reason you can’t make it to enjoy yourself this summer. I made this one-week because I was sick of my lunches and wanted something filling but also summery. Feel free to add your own spin on this or add any ingredients you have on hand that need to be used up.

Greek Pasta Salad Ingredients

Not much surprising here but take a look and see what you have on hand that may be able to be swapped before you head out to grab the fixins.

• Chickpea Pasta: I love Banza but there are plenty of options out there. The nice thing about bean pastas are they are higher in protein so allows for a nice satisfying meat-free dish. Feel free to use regular pasta if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
• Cucumber: I prefer a nice long English cucumber but any type will do. You may find you want 2 regular cucumbers for this salad.
• Broccoli: If you aren’t a fan of raw broccoli you can toss some broccoli in the pasta water with the pasta and have it cook alongside the pasta.
• Red Bell Pepper: any bell pepper will work but the red gives it a nice color.
• Red Onion: I love the sharp taste of red onion so if you’re not into onions I recommend using a yellow or white onion in place of the red onion.
• Cherry Tomatoes: this time of year we get to start enjoying some fresh tomatoes and there is nothing better than a fresh tomato. Feel free to use any type of tomato you have just make sure you cut them into small bite size pieces to fit with the rest of the salad.
• Olives: I used black olives because I forgot to buy kalamata at the store and always have a can of black olives in my pantry (ha!) so feel free to use any olive but if you’re not an olive person you can always leave them out or on the side if you’re sharing with an olive-lover. (Olive theory from How I Met Your Mother, anyone?)
• Feta Cheese:  Feta may be my favorite cheese. I recommend going with the block feta, ideally the one in a brine as I find it’s so much more flavorful than the pre-crumbled feta. Goat cheese would also work nicely in this salad.

Dressing Ingredients

You can most certainly buy a Greek, Mediterranean, and Italian dressing and use it in this recipe but you will most likely have all the ingredients on hand, and if not I highly recommend stocking up so you can make your own fresh salad dressing over and over again.

• Olive Oil: I prefer an extra virgin olive oil as it’s richer in flavor but if you don’t have it, a regular olive oil or avocado oil will do.
• Red Wine Vinegar: I feel like this is what truly makes an Meditteranean-type dressing so run don’t walk to your grocery store and grab yourself some.
• Honey: You can feel free to omit this but it really does add a nice sweetness to the salad. I always prefer finding local honey but when that’s not an option I also love Nature Nate’s.
• Lemon Juice: I keep a bottle of lemon juice in the refrigerator because while fresh lemon juice is definitely more flavorful the bottle is nice when you forget items on your grocery list, like the lemons.
• Oregano: hi, I’m Italian, I use this in everything, get yourself some.
• Garlic Powder: if you want a more prominent garlic taste, use a minced clove or 2 of garlic.
• Red Pepper Flakes:  I could put red pepper flakes in everything. If you don’t like heat then get out of the kitchen, no I’m only joking, just omit it.

How to Make This Greek Pasta Salad

The hardest part about making this salad is waiting for the pasta to cool. I mean, you don’t actually have to do that, you can eat it warm, but I’m partial to a cold pasta salad and I hate waiting for anything so there ya have it, the hardest step. Here’s how you make this pasta salad:

1. Make the Pasta. Prepare pasta per instructions on box. Let cool. If you want it a bit more al dente then make sure you take it out before the recommended cooking time.
2. Make the Dressing. While the pasta is cooking or even while it’s cooling,  whisk together all ingredients for the dressing in a medium bowl, set aside.
3. Put it all Together. In a large bowl, combine pasta with all other pasta salad ingredients, add dressing and toss to combine. 

Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. I like to make this for lunches for the week. I make it Sunday night and either portion out into my favorite glass storage containers or in one large bowl that I can dig into as you wish.

How to Serve This Greek Pasta Salad

I prefer to let this salad sit in it’s dressing in the refrigerator overnight before I enjoy it because, as I’ve said before, I prefer it cold. However, you can also serve this in a multitude of ways.

Add protein. If you want some extra protein, add in some cubed chicken or maybe some canned salmon.

Use it as a side dish.  Need a dish for a summer BBQ or family get-together? This would make a nice side dish for such an occasion.

Change up the Vegetables. Not big on cucumbers? No biggie, add something else like yellow squash. Use what you have on hand and get creative!

Other Recipes You May Like

If you like this recipe, here are some other recipes that you may be interested in as well.

Buffalo Pasta Salad

Spinach & Artichoke Greek Yogurt Pasta

Mediterranean Hummus Party Dip

Chopped Summer Salad with Tuna and Avocado Lime Dressing

Okay, now for what you’ve been waiting for, the Pasta Salad recipe!

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Hope you enjoy! 

xoxo,

Sassy

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